Rojas Tames Venice As Douglas Claims 7A State Title

Douglas ace Gio Rojas pitches in the 2026 Class 7A state championship.

It was a legendary moment for baseball history at the FHSAA state tournament.

Regardless of the outcome, history was going to be made for one team.

Unfortunately for the Venice Indians, it wasn’t the ending they hoped for.

The Stoneman Douglas Eagles held on late for a 2-1 victory over the Venice Indians in Saturday’s Class 7A state championship. After rolling the dice and holding their ace for this marquee match up, Douglas star Gio Rojas delivered a dominant start to lead the Eagles to their state-record sixth straight state title.

The Indians suffered only their second loss of the entire season, having entered the contest as the top-ranked team in the entire country. Venice (32-2) had only lost in the championship game of the toughest tournament in the nation at the National High School Invitational, and this defeat stings double as it costs both a state and national championship.

R.J. Shields celebrates after hitting a solo home run for the Indians’ only run.

But Gio Rojas is no ordinary pitcher with an ordinary arm. Projected to go as high as the third pick in the upcoming MLB Draft in July, the senior left-hander showcased every bit of the magic he produces on the mound to cap a brilliant high school career and leave the MLB scouts salivating at his potential.

Rojas was as dominant as ever in the biggest game of his career. with velocity topping around 98 miles per hour, the lanky southpaw nearly went the distance, before the pitch count caught up with him one out shy of a complete-game shutout. He allowed just one hit and two walks over six-and-two-third innings of work, and he piled up a dozen strikeouts.

Yet even despite that brilliant outing, the Indians were in it right to the very finish. Immediately upon getting to the bullpen, Venice struck to cut the deficit in half and stay in it to the very last pitch. Designated hitter R.J. Shields greeted the Eagles bullpen by crushing a 1-1 offering deep to right field for a solo home run with two outs in the bottom of the seventh.

But a swinging strikeout to the next batter ended the game, leaving the Indians that close to adding its seventh state crown to its illustrious history.

It was the game that every baseball fan in Florida hoped to see, and the performances on the field lived up to the high billing. Two of the most accomplished programs in the state battled in the finale, with pitching and defense so well-executed that offense was tough to come by for either side.

Shortstop Graham Houston actually accounted for most of the rest of the offensive production for the Indians. The junior went 1-for-1 and also walked twice, with Venice’s only other base runner coming after Maddox Volk was hit by a pitch but stranded at second base in the fifth.

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